Note: Dr. Myrtle Dorsey withdrew her name for consideration as a candidate for the presidency of Brookhaven College on March 30.
For immediate release — March 28, 2011
(DALLAS) — Four finalists for the position of president of Brookhaven College have been announced by the Dallas County Community College District. They are:
Dr. Alex Kajstura, provost of the Norfolk campus for Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Va.;
Dr. Thom Chesney, associate provost for student success and assessment, as well as associate professor of arts and humanities, for the University of Texas at Dallas;
Dr. Myrtle Dorsey, chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College in Baton Rouge, La.; and
Dr. Bill Coppola, executive director of academic partnerships and initiatives, as well as vice president of instruction, for Lone Star College-Kingwood (Texas).
Each candidate will visit the college and spend time with the search committee, campus vice presidents, members of the professional support staff, students and members of the BHC leadership team. They also will participate in a campus open forum, providing a 15-minute presentation for students, faculty and staff and then participating in a question-and-answer session.
The schedule for campus visits is March 31 for Kajstura, April 4 for Chesney, April 7 for Dorsey and April 13 for Coppola. The candidates also will tour the campus during their visits.
Kajstura, previously provost and dean of the School of Business and Technologies for Daytona Beach (Fla.) Community College, also served as assistant and associate dean of business and engineering at Palm Beach (Fla.) Community College and as an instructor at both Northeast Community College in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and John A. Logan College in Cartersville, Ill. He earned a doctorate in higher education administration from Southern Illinois University; master’s degrees in organic chemistry from Texas Tech University and business administration from LeTourneau University; and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Silesian University in Katowice, Poland.
Chesney, who previously was district vice president for academic affairs as well as provost and district dean of communications and humanities at Collin County Community College District, also served as assistant dean of integrated studies for the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pa., and director of freshman advising/freshman seminar and full-time faculty at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. Chesney earned a doctorate in English literature from Florida State University; a master’s degree in creative writing from Mankato State University (Minn.); and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish/business from Washington University in St. Louis.
Before she became chancellor at Baton Rouge Community College, Dorsey served as executive vice president and president of Cincinnati (Ohio) State Technical and Community College and as vice president of student affairs at Georgia Perimeter College in Decatur, Ga. Dorsey holds a doctorate in higher education/community college leadership from the University of Texas at Austin; a master’s degree in reading/education and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish/education, both from Morgan State University (Md.).
Coppola, who previously served as dean of instruction at Lone Star College-North Harris in Houston, was senior associate dean and director of the Community College Center, plus senior associate dean of instruction, at Maricopa Community College in Phoenix; and also was an instructor at North Lake College. He received his doctorate in higher education administration/computer cognitive systems and a master’s degree in education (vocational and technical education/computer cognitive systems), both from the University of North Texas; and a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications/psychology from Michigan State University.
For more information, contact Dawn Segroves, DCCCD human resources operations manager, at (214) 378-1503.
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Press contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu